Rewrite file extension BUT deny direct access to file

Question

I am looking for a way to hide the file extension via .htaccess and deny direct access. Let\'s consider the following:

http://www.xyz.zyx/index.php 
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Answer 1

Although one may question the usefulness of such a thing, it's feasible, so here's how to do it in a .htaccess using mod_rewrite:

RewriteEngine On

# Sets your index script
RewriteRule ^$ index.php [L]

# Condition prevents redirect loops (when script is not found)
RewriteCond %{ENV:REDIRECT_STATUS} !^$
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f

# Stop here if the file is not found after a redirect
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ notfound.php [L]

# Condition prevents redirect loops (when script is found)
RewriteCond %{ENV:REDIRECT_STATUS} ^$

# Forbid access directly to PHP files
RewriteRule ^.*?\.php$ forbidden [F,L]

# Make sure the filename does not actually exist (images, etc.)
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f

# Append the .php extension to the URI
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ $1.php [L]